Carly Overhauser and Dean Kayler, Tahoma High sophomores, decided to spend a summer afternoon at Shadow Lake June 24, but neither realized they would soon be involved in a life-altering tragedy.
The two teenagers pulled a 60-year-old drowning man from the lake and gave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation until Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety emergency personnel arrived.
The man was revived because of the actions of Overhauser and Kayler, but he died the next day in the hospital.
The sequence of events began at about 4 p.m. The two teens were sitting on the dock facing the water when they saw a man go into the lake and begin swimming across to a dock.
Kayler said after the man was swimming for a time they heard him calling for help. Overhauser and Kayler ran up a private road to try to find a way to access where they thought he was.
“He stopped calling and we ran back down the road,” Kayler said.
The two spotted a private dock behind a fence with three rows of barbed wire. They were able to squeeze through an opening in the fence and run to a dock.
“I saw him floating in the water face down,” Kayler said. “I thought he was dead.”
Kayler jumped into the water and began pulling the 250-pound man to the dock.
“I started calling for help,” Kayler said. “I couldn’t get him up on the dock, but I got his head out of the water…. He was blue down to his shoulders.”
Another man scaled the fence to help. He, Overhauser and Kayler were able to get the man to dry land.
Overhauser said at first, “I was really freaking out. I didn’t know what to do, but the man asked us if we knew CPR and I said I did.”
For the next 10-12 minutes she gave the unconscious man CPR while Kayler stayed on his phone and the other man went back up to direct the aid cars to the scene.
Overhauser received CPR training at Tahoma Junior High in Cary Collins’ health class. The CPR program has been part of the Collin’s health program for the past decade. Janine Johnson, the public education specialist with Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety, organized and taught the class that gave Overhauser the training.
“Carly did a great job and Dean put his own life at risk,” Collins said. “This is why we do the (CPR) training, so kids can help people in a situation like this. I thought it was incredible what they did.”
Kayler relieved Overhauser after about 12 minutes and within about another three minutes the emergency medical personnel reached the scene.
Because of Overhauser’s and Kayler’s efforts the man was revived, but he died the following day.
“I feel like we gave him a chance for life,” Kayler said.
Overhauser said she learned a great deal about CPR from her health class.
“I never, never expected to use it,” Overhauser said. “You don’t go through a real life and death situation in class. You’re never really prepared.”
The two teens will be presented with the Life Saving Award by Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety Aug. 5.
